365 Days of Praise
Making Tracks, But Are They the Right Ones
Have you ever wished you had a mentor; someone to follow; to teach you how to do your job better, to be a better spouse, or how to better live in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father? Many lack a good “example” as evidenced by the normalization of arguing, lying, materialism, and trusting in “self” rather than God. Yet our Heavenly Father gives us a good example in His Son. Jesus shows us how to stand against temptation, how to live for God’s will, how to treat others, and even how to suffer when choosing to follow God’s Word rather than the world. Ultimately, Jesus is an eXample of how to entrust ourselves to our Heavenly Father’s care. 1 Peter 2:21 reminds us of the importance of following Jesus’s example. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,” In a world filled with bad examples, our Father calls us to choose to follow the right example.
We praise You, Lord Jesus, our EXAMPLE!
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WHAT: Quick Peak Prayers of My Heart Journaling Tips – How to get the most out of journaling in 2019
WHEN: Wednesday, January 9, 10 a.m.
EMAIL: Let us know you’re coming – debbie@debbietaylorwilliams.com. We look forward to seeing you. Share with a friend!
A Time. A Place. A Person.
Does it seem surreal to think about being in heaven and seeing Jesus? For most of us, it probably does. The fact is, Jesus is a real person and at a real time in a real place we will see Him. In Isaiah 6:1-5, he describes his experience. “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and EXALTED, with the train of His robe filling the temple.”
“I saw the Lord.” Let those words sink in.
There was a time – the year of King Uzziah’s death.
There was a place – sitting on a throne in a temple.
There was a description – lofty…exalted…the train of His robe FILLING the temple. How does that even happen?
There were others – Seraphim stood above Him. There was talking. The seraphim called out to one another, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”
There was more talking – “And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.”
Isaiah’s response was, “‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.’”
What will our response be in that time and place when we see the EXALTED LORD JESUS?
EXALTED Lord, we can’t imagine what it will be like when we see YOU. Our hearts tremble at the thought of Your majesty and glory. May our awe and reverence for You be lived out in our daily decisions and behavior… in anticipation of the day, time, and place we meet You.
Are You in Need of Wonder Working Power
Do you wish you could twitch your nose or snap your fingers and presto, what you long for would appear? The fact is, those techniques may work in movies, but not real life. However, God does work wonders. Sometimes those wonders take time. Other times, moments. Regardless of the timing, our Heavenly Father is the One on whom we are to set our hearts if we’re in need of wonder working power. Moses is but one of many who needed a miracle and God stepped in. Listen to his words of praise in Exodus 15:11. “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?” If we’re in need of wonder working power, we can ask God for help, be still in His presence, and listen to His guidance. We can do as He tells us and experience His wonder working help.
Lord God, You are the WORKER of WONDERS! We look to You, pray to You, and praise You!
Prayers of My Heart is where you can record what God places on your heart. Then, when He answers, you can date the answer and write your words of praise to Him as Moses did.
Is Lip Service a Big Deal to God
A person who is not a Christian once challenged me and asked why believers talk about God’s love but never His wrath. I thought about his question, and realized that I’m guilty of that very thing. Think about all the wonderful ways we look at God’s love, gentleness, and favor. Today, however, the context in which God’s actions are described as WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS is a reference to His judgment on people who claim His name, but simply give lip service to Him. God uses the prophet Isaiah to call them out in Isaiah 29:13-14. “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS.'” He goes on to warn them of the consequences of their lip service and rote worship. We might want to relegate our Creator’s wrath to the Old Testament, but Revelation 16 speaks of God’s judgement being poured out on the earth in a future day. We may wonder, “Is our behavior and sincerity of worship a big deal to God?” The answer is, clearly they are.
Lord, You alone are worthy of our praise. You extend mercy to those who call on Your name, but also discipline in WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS ways those who give You lip service and rote worship. Forgive us and prompt us daily to live by Your Spirit.
Get it NOW & journal your thanks to God for the best 2019!
Let’s Get This Right
Have you ever considered that because Christ paid for your sins you are worthy of heaven? Say that a few times to yourself and let it sink in. “I am worthy of heaven!” Believers are found worthy of heaven ONLY because Christ is worthy and exchanged His righteousness for our sin. He gave us His righteousness. Colossians 1:10 reminds us of the implication – “so that YOU will walk in a manner WORTHYof the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” In other words, we’re to walk in a manner worthy of or “suitably” for our Lord. We may have a hazy understanding of what it means to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, but we know what it means to be suitable. A child who puts on dirty clothes for school is told to put on something suitable, something clean for school. In the same manner, we are to walk worthily (suitably) of the Lord. Let’s get this right!
Lord, thank You for making us worthy of Your presence and of heaven. Help us walk worthily of You!
Excerpt from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case?
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Who Is Driving Your Tractor in 2019?
Looking at the table where my nativity was beautifully displayed, I paused. My grandson, Logan, was quietly and gently playing with the wise men, camels, sheep, and donkey; which I’d said he could do. He had moved the hay from the “barn” and back into the “barn” with his green John Deere tractor several times. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. The mess and all. But then, I realized, what else would a three year old think you were supposed to do with hay. However, then I noticed baby Jesus wasn’t in His manger. Before I could say, “Where is baby Jesus,” I spied Him…perched behind the yellow steering wheel of the John Deere. My first reaction was to blurt, “Get Jesus off the tractor and back into the manger!” Instead, I held my tongue and watched Logan gently guide the tractor across the table, carefully holding baby Jesus upright. It was then that I realized Logan was giving Jesus great honor. He was letting Jesus drive his John Deere. Instead of correcting Logan, I found myself saying, “You are so sweet to share your tractor with baby Jesus.” In Logan’s mind, he no doubt thought, “Why would Jesus want to lay on hay when He could drive a tractor?”
I learned two lessons from Logan that day.
The first lesson is that I’m too narrow minded about the ways I think to honor Jesus. Watching Logan play, I realized I should invite Jesus into more of my daily activities. Why should I “shelf” Him when He wants to be a part of all the aspects of my life?
Second, I began wondering if I truly let Jesus “drive my tractor.” Logan placed Jesus in a premiere position: behind the wheel of his favorite toy. “Do I place Jesus in a premiere place, or do I just take Him along for the ride?” I wondered.
As we close this year and look forward to the next, I think it’s good for us to take an assessment of our lives. Has Jesus been pleased with all we’ve done this past year? Are there areas where we excluded Him and didn’t invite Him to be a part? Have our desires been the driving force behind our days? Or, have we placed Jesus in the seat of honor and asked Him to steer us through our days?
It’s never too late for us to change; to do things better this coming year. Who is driving your tractor?
Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus. Thank You that He is eager to be an integral part of our lives.
It’s not too late. Order Prayers of My Heart today and discover the difference recording your daily gratitude makes. 2019 can be different. 2019 can be better. Order Prayers of My Heart TODAY for you and your loved ones.
This post is adapted from 2013.
What Jesus Looks Like
Do you wonder what Jesus looks like? If so, Revelation 19:13 tells us this about God’s gift to us, “His name is called THE WORD of GOD.” In other words, the Bible, God’s inspired WORD, is a collection of descriptions of Christ’s countenance, power, and thoughts. Every day, you and I’ve looked at a different facet of God – that He is wonderful, powerful, infinite, majestic, holy, kind, patient, forgiving, merciful, and on. I’ve loved my time with you this year as we’ve shared our mornings, days, or evenings – depending on when you open this email. It’s sent from me to you in love with this in mind – that we grasp a better, fuller appreciation of who our LORD is. Why? So we can more fully love and follow close after His heart. Thank you to those who have given a donation to help my non-profit ministry with the daily costs of funding 365 Days of Praise. We’re now partners in getting these daily truths into city homes, rural farmhouses, Pakistan villages, and India ministries – those who then forward them to those in their sphere of influence. You’re the best, and I love ministering with you. God bless you and Happy New Year!
Lord Jesus Christ, we praise You, living, breathing, WORD of GOD.
If You’re Wondering What to Do About Something
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Are you at your wit’s end? Do you need someone to talk to; someone who can help you sort out your problems and worries? God understands. Our Heavenly Father is the original COUNSELOR. And, Isaiah 9:6 says this about Jesus. “For a child will be born to us, … And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” In other words, our Heavenly Father and Jesus are Wonderful Counselors who are available to counsel and guide us. They will listen. They will answer. Talk to God, then do as they counsel. A great place to record what God counsels you to do is in Prayers of My Heart Journal. It is proven by research that the very act of writing helps record it on our brains so we’re more likely to follow up on it. You can order Prayers of My Heart at www.debbietaylorwilliams.com or your favorite book store. Make 2019 your best year by following God’s Wonderful Counsel. ORDER HERE.
LORD, You are the WONDERFUL COUNSELOR. Increase our sensitivity to Your Voice. Help us take seriously Your counsel and do it.
Who Can You Believe?
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Do you ever wonder who you can believe? One person says one thing and another claims the opposite. Yes, it can sometimes be difficult to know who to believe, but not in the case of Jesus’s words. Revelation 1:5 describes Jesus Christ as “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood-” Jesus is a faithful witness. A witness of what? He witnessed to us about heaven, His Father, about angels, crowns of righteousness awaiting believers, resurrection bodies, thrones, powers, kingdoms, the judgment seat, forgiveness, redemption, His Father’s house, and about Satan. Jesus testified about the fact that Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Jonah were real people and the Old Testament is true. Our confidence in the Bible and its teachings solidly rests on Christ because He is a faithful witness to us that they are true.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, the faithful WITNESS! Thank You for the confidence we have in the Bible and You because of Your word.
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Jesus is Coming!
Have you been in awe of the magnificent beauty of the moon? The moon – IS – something that exists. The moon – WAS – created by God in eternity past. The moon WILL BE in our tomorrows. We see the moon appear in different phases, but it is still one moon. It existed in times past. It exists today. And, it will exist in our tomorrows. So why would we doubt that Christ is the LORD WHO WAS the CREATOR and WHO IS self-existent in heaven and in our presence, and WHO IS TO COME? On December 25, we celebrate the LORD who came in the appearance of a BABY. But, as Revelation 1:4 says CHRIST is not only “HE is WHO IS and WHO WAS,” He is the LORD “WHO IS TO COME…” again from heaven one day. Jesus is coming again! Will we be ready to meet HIS MAJESTY? Have a blessed Christmas!
Lord, WHO IS, WHO WAS, AND WHO IS TO COME, help us worship You not only with our lips, but with our daily lives.
“Grace to you and peace, from Him WHO IS and WHO WAS and WHO IS TO COME…”